Israel Air Strikes Kill Iran’s Nuclear Program Head, Top Officials

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Operation Rising Lion: Israel Launches Major Strikes on Iran to Eliminate Key Nuclear Officials

By TRH NEWS Desk

NEW DELHI, June 13 – Israel conducted a series of airstrikes on Iran early Friday, targeting its nuclear program and military infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of several high-ranking officials, including the head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, according to multiple Middle East media outlets.

The attack, dubbed “Operation Rising Lion” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, escalated tensions in the region, raising fears of a broader conflict.

Iranian state television reported that Major General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in strikes that set the IRGC headquarters ablaze in Tehran.

Additionally, Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the IRGC, confirmed Salami’s death and reported that former nuclear chief Fereydoun Abbasi, who recently suggested Iran could develop tactical nuclear bombs, was also killed. Al Jazeera noted that the strikes hit Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, with black smoke rising over the site, though the extent of the damage remains unclear.

The Guardian reported that Israel’s military targeted dozens of sites, including nuclear facilities and the IRGC headquarters. Netanyahu stated that the strikes aimed to disrupt Iran’s nuclear weaponization program and ballistic missile capabilities.

The operation also reportedly killed Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, and another senior IRGC commander, General Gholamali Rashid, according to Iranian state media cited by The New York Times.

Residents in Tehran, Isfahan, Arak, and Kermanshah reported hearing explosions, with Iranian state news agency IRNA noting at least a dozen civilian deaths in Tehran alone. A senior Iranian official told The New York Times that a residential compound housing military commander in Tehran’s Shahid Mahalati neighborhood had been demolished, with eyewitnesses describing massive flames and smoke from military bases.

Iran’s Press TV reported additional strikes in Khorramabad, home to a major missile base, and claimed civilian casualties in the capital.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Effie Defrin justified the strikes as a response to intelligence indicating Iran was “closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon,” posing an “existential threat” to Israel.

Netanyahu, in a video address, emphasized that the operation targeted Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, ballistic missile factories, and leading nuclear scientists to prevent a “nuclear holocaust.”

Iranian officials vowed a strong retaliation. Prior to the strikes, IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani had warned of a “history-making” response to any Israeli attack, according to Al Jazeera.

A senior Iranian official told The New York Times that Iranian fighter jets were scrambled to intercept Israeli warplanes during the attack for a potential counterstrike.

The strikes follow heightened tensions after the International Atomic Energy Agency censured Iran on Thursday for non-cooperation with inspectors, prompting Iran to announce a third enrichment site. The Trump administration, which had cautioned Israel against attacking amid ongoing nuclear talks, stated it was not involved in the strikes.

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